With two of the three main acts up for the Meteor Awards for Hope of 2006, it’s fair to say that the air of excitement about tonight isn’t merely that reserved for an everyday gig in the capital.
The Things are Dublin regulars, and it shows: their diehards are out in full force tonight and offering them the compliment of singing back every word of their offerings, which floats between the not-so-broad field between The Cramps and The Misfits, and shares the visuals too. They may not be the most novel band kicking around at the moment, but they’ve got the energy and practice to ensure their live performance is enough to keep all present from straying to the bar.
Next up is CH-1 who start their set impressively: setting up their kit, testing instruments out individually and unintrusively then bring together their loose jam into a tight formation, a change that the audience discovers in their own good time. But after the first song brimful of retro electro synth goodness, the monopace of their set ensures that it remains their highlight.
It’s no surprise that the largest and most enthusiastic response is saved for Humanzi, whose appearance on the Whelan’s level of the gigging circuit may very well be their last before they progress upwards. As they begin with perfect opener ‘Diet Pills and Magazines’, their slick performance proves why they’re a cut above the rest. And it’s a quality that’s not only prevalent, but consistent throughout their set, which means if there’s any criticisms to be had, it would be to do with the subject matter of when confidence becomes overconfidence. But as that barely touches tonight’s climactic show, that’s one we won’t worry about right now.